Feng Xing: Chapter 98
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Translation: marchmallow
Because the deputy headmaster was such a pivotal position, Feng Sheng had donned men’s clothing for this meeting simply out of convenience. She had a stark awareness of how lofty and pedantic these literati were. To them, a mere woman was unworthy of undivided loyalty.
Feng Sheng had looked into this person named Guan Qian in advance.
This person became a candidate in the imperial examination in the 18th year of Jianping and had since been squandering his years trying to attain a scholarly honor. Perhaps because he was acutely aware that he fell short of passing, he foraged for other means to earn a living.
He had a very mediocre literary background. Had Mao Shan not recommended him, and had Prince Wei not personally brought it up, perhaps Feng Sheng wouldn’t have arranged a meeting with him. However, she was also certain of Prince Wei’s character. If it wasn’t for the fact that this person had something to offer, Prince Wei wouldn’t have uttered a single word.
Sure enough, after seeing Guan Qian the next day, she was slightly taken aback.
How should she put it? In Feng Seng’s imagination, this person didn’t differ from those who took pride in themselves for being a Juren1. He ought to have been taciturn and emaciated, sporting a washed white scholar robe with a wisp of a goatee. On the contrary, he was tall and burly, not at all bearing semblance to a scholar, but rather more to a stout cook.
He wasn’t too rotund, but his ruddy cheeks and glib tongue threw Feng Sheng for a loop. After a while, she learned that Guan Qian was a man of ample experience.
This person was from the northwest, and he was not born in an affluent family. One should bear in mind that, in the northwest, where the practice of studying wasn’t too prosperous, it cost far more to take an exam for a scholarly honor than in the south. Because whether one’s teacher was renowned or simply from one’s locality, the fewer teachers there were, the more expensive they became, and the higher their regard for themselves grew.
To use the simplest example, a sheet of bamboo paper ranged from twenty to thirty copper coins in the south, but it cost far more than double that amount in the northwest. It wouldn’t be a problem if one’s family was well-off, but for an ordinary family, supporting a scholar was far too difficult.
It was indeed difficult. It became possible for Guan Qian to pass an exam and become a Juren because he put the entirety of his family’s property at stake. Even so, to obtain a scholarly honor and to support his family, Guan Qian had eked out a living as a waiter, did menial jobs in an accounting office, transcribed books in bookstores, wrote letters for others on the street, and worked as a private school teacher in the public library. Feng Sheng’s initial guess also wasn’t wrong; he had even worked as a cook.
In any case, so long as he could earn money, he would do anything. However, he was already over forty. Why wasn’t he progressing in the imperial examination? Perhaps all those jobs had occupied his head that he became too devoid of energy to study.
Furthermore, Guan Qian was not at all like Feng Sheng had initially presumed. He charged headlong towards this big mountain——the imperial examination——but did not know when to give up. Whenever an exam was underway, he would go and take it. If he passed, then that would be it. If he didn’t, he would go back to work. Before, when he hadn’t yet gone to the capital, he taught in a local private school during the day, then after school hours hustled as a cook in a small restaurant. Such experiences could deem him as a rare exotic flower in literary circles.
This Guan Qian was not the slightest bit ashamed to talk about his past endeavors and even indulged in verbiage about them. A strange light flickered in Feng Sheng’s eyes. It now dawned on her why Prince Wei had personally mentioned him.
In fact, she and Prince Wei had discussed about what qualities the academy’s deputy headmaster should possess. Feng Sheng’s intrinsic thinking led her to deduce that he should be an erudite and learned person, but Prince Wei actually shook his head. She was now able to fathom his meaning.
The position of the academy’s headmaster was empty because neither she nor Prince Wei were suitable. It seemed as such, but in actuality, all were aware why it was so. As a result, the deputy headmaster had immense responsibility.
If he wanted to be able to manage those ill-tempered lecturers in the academy, he needed to be cognizant of how arrogant and loathsome the nature of these literati were. After all, it was Prince Wei who, by virtue of his identity, requested the Jianping Emperor to bid those Hanlins often assigned to stagnant posts in the Hanlin Academy to approach the academy to meet the demand for lecturers. It wasn’t like they were bound to the place, as their sole purpose was to give lectures.
These Hanlins were prideful and persnickety. They were not easy people to contend with, so the deputy headmaster, who would oft deal with them, had to embody what was called ‘being all things to all men’.2
Countless people had enrolled in the men’s hall since the academy’s inception, and among these were children from rich and noble families. As such, the disparity between the rich and the poor was so cumbersome that conflict would inevitably breed in the future. With this, the deputy headmaster must be proficient in social relationships, versed in worldly wisdom, and could adapt to variable circumstances.
In addition, the academy wasn’t only a place of learning——all students dwelled in the dormitories where they would eat, drink, relax, and frolic. The deputy headmaster also had to pay heed to every conceivable situation. Were they to simply rely on some erudite person, one who would most likely be arrogant and obstinate, they might as well have Prince Wei manage everything.
As these thoughts coursed through her head, Feng Sheng felt that Guan Qian appeared more and more pleasing to her eyes. After a lengthy chat, she could sense that the other party had abounding knowledge; he was a man of great wisdom, slow-witted though he appeared. At once, she concluded that he was the only one.
After some time, Feng Sheng left. Guan Qian, who had just been praised, was still unable to make head or tail of it.
Securing such a position was completely out of his expectations. He and Mao Shan hailed from the same village and were schoolmates back in the day. Since the other had recommended him for such an opportunity, he couldn’t bear to decline. When he first arrived, he had primarily thought that the meeting would definitely end in failure. After all, why would a man who possessed a prince manor and instituted an academy invite him to become the deputy headmaster? So when faced with that young man, mindful of the other’s gentility and youthfulness, he merely treated him as a steward of the prince manor. Without giving it much thought, he spoke of whatever he desired, never anticipating that his fate would be determined right then and there.
When he ambled out of the teahouse lost in thought and sought Mao Shan for some answers, he learned that that person was actually Princess Consort Wei. He was so abashed that he instantly broke out in cold sweat, wondering if the praises he had just received contained any underlying pejoratives.
Because of this incident, the person he, who in the future would become the Jinjiang Academy’s well-known ‘Omniscient Custodian Guan’3, feared most was Princess Consort Wei, but this part of the story would be recounted at a later time.
*
When the matter was settled, Feng Sheng informed Mao Shan that the sooner Guan Qian could take office, the better.
Guan Qian wasn’t fickle and immediately made headway to the academy with his belongings in tow. The academy had just opened, so it wasn’t unsurprising for chaos to be present everywhere. Nonetheless, this person wasn’t picky. He chose his living quarters without much regard as he strolled around the area.
To familiarize himself with every single detail, he approached strangers to make inquiries, but they weren’t aware of his position and simply assumed he was a lecturer. He sought people out for anecdotes and information, and they also told him all they knew. Later on, some felt that this person was much too garrulous and intrusive, actually going so far as to discipline those he caught making mistakes. Some even suspected him to be a spy sent by another academy. Later on, after all those misunderstandings, they found out that he was the deputy headmaster.
Everything in the academy gradually fell on the right track. Guan Qian was also capable. Those above were willing to delegate him some power, so he was able to handle everything smoothly. The Jianping Emperor’s Grand Birthday came along, so Feng Sheng and Prince Wei couldn’t come to the academy for over ten days. When they walked into the academy once more, everywhere they could behold was the idyllic scene of spring with greenery so verdant and lush. From time to time, a student would walk by with a book. The fragrance of books exuded a kind of tranquility that calmed people.
In reality, all this was an illusion. There was nevertheless still a mountain worth of worries, especially for Feng Sheng, who was in charge of the affairs of the women’s hall. Attracting female students wasn’t easy. This year, the total number of students in there was only over twenty. In addition, she naturally wanted to select a female teacher for the women’s hall, but she still couldn’t find a suitable person for the job, so she had an old scholar fill the position.
As a matter of fact, the notice of the academy wanting to hire female teachers was still posted outside. A few had come the past few days, but Guan Qian wasn’t apt to make decisions for that, so she had to come.
Feng Sheng met with the two female teachers. Both were in their thirties and were born into literary families. One was widowed, and the other was unmarried. During the day, both were usually within the manors of wealthy nobles serving as a teacher to those families’ young misses. It was just that, finding a job that sated their passion was much too great of a challenge. Either these noble daughters were arrogant and willful——so as teachers they could neither be too strict nor easygoing——or those in their families deigned women’s education too insignificant. To them, inviting a teacher was merely a pretense they had to keep up for a year or two.
Then, the two heard that the academy was hiring female teachers. The monthly wage was ample, and behind it was the support of the Wei Prince Manor. It must not have been a joke, so they trudged forth to find out.
As they dropped by to inspect, they could perceive that the academy was a good place with an exquisite environment that exhibited the intoxication of a beautiful spring day. The teachers also had a dormitory that was a lot more spacious than the students’. It was a small courtyard with its own entrance. They immediately liked the place and mulled over wanting to stay.
Feng Sheng spoke with them. These days, most women working as female teachers standing on their own feet had miserable lives, but majority of them possessed the tenacity ordinary women didn’t have. Needless to say, because they felt appreciated in this place, they all naturally stayed.
There were two female teachers. One was surnamed Li, whose given name was Ru Yu. The other was surnamed Han, with the given name Ying. Before they could officially start, Feng Sheng sent the old teacher back to the men’s hall, then repeatedly exhorted the two to tend to the students.
All the students came from destitute families, so the teachers first set aside the four forms of poetry and started with the basics of reading. One time, Feng Sheng had a conversation with the two of them. That following afternoon, they added the subject of needlework. Li was quite adept at needlework, so she taught them stitching and embroidery. Han taught subjects useful for women who aimed for independence. She wasn’t a woman of the workforce, but she was extremely knowledgeable. She was an odd woman with an erudition and versatility uncommon to her ilk. She could teach just about anything, so she chose arithmetic.
Many interesting incidents occurred during this period. Feng Sheng found a very interesting little lass among these girls.
She wasn’t very young, about eight years old this year. Among those born into poverty, she was one of the few who were truly unfortunate. She had no parents and was used to begging on the streets for a living. No one knew where she learned about the academy accepting female students, but she simply drifted along and got in. She was one of those girls Feng Sheng had classified as liars.
Her little tricks were enough to deceive others, but how could she deceive Feng Sheng? At that time, she had told Feng Sheng that she wanted to study to stand out among her peers, but in truth, she only wanted to have food to eat for a year without having to pay money. Because she had to be accompanied by a family member to register, she deliberately sought a random woman who could pretend to be her mother. Her household register was also someone else’s family’s. It was said that it cost her twenty copper coins, an amount that had taken her quite a while to earn.
All this was revealed a while after the admissions. Now, the only characteristics that made this girl, Xiao Yin Zi, stand out were her eloquence and her habit of sneaking out over the wall.
It was precisely because of this that Feng Sheng often remembered her with concern.
One fated day, Feng Sheng and Prince Wei visited the academy. Noticing how great the scenery on the mountain was, they veered from the main entrance and took the long path to the side entrance. Before reaching the place, they witnessed a little girl in a student’s robe climbing over the wall.
She was very agile. From one look, they could tell that this wasn’t her first time. Unfortunately, she just had to stumble upon Prince Wei and Feng Sheng. An imperial bodyguard went over and seized the person, whose head hung low like a little mouse caught stealing lamp oil.
She had obviously been caught, yet she still had to quibble. She caught sight of Feng Sheng and, knowing she was the princess consort, lied to her that her brother was sick. It was just that the academy only gave a day off every ten days, so she wanted to sneak out to check on her brother and return immediately after.
Xiao Yin Zi already had previous convictions. Feng Sheng was convinced that she had some sinister plot, so she instilled fear by declaring that they would send her away. Having been frightened like this, she fell through and stood exposed. She behaved herself and returned to the academy with Feng Sheng. When she questioned the woman in charge of the women’s dormitory, Feng Sheng discovered that this wasn’t the first time Xiao Yin Zi had done such a thing and had been caught once before.
After that, it was revealed that she used to be a little beggar. She wanted to go back not to see her brother, but to see her begging partner, a boy named Xiao Dou Zi.
……
Winter left and spring came. After the Lantern Festival, the capital bustled with excitement.
It was for no other reason than the triennial spring examination4 held in the second month of this year. During this period, the capital would be extremely boisterous, and the inns everywhere would be overcrowded. When no place would be available for lodging, the scholars who came for the imperial examination would live in temples on the suburbs of the capital. Feng Sheng and Prince Wei had a discussion regarding this, and they decided to have two small buildings in the academy be lodged free of charge to scholars who rushed forth to take the imperial exam.
The small buildings were actually in the form of quadrangle courtyards, but on three sides were two-story buildings to accommodate more people. This move catapulted the academy’s popularity to greater heights, spreading the Jinjiang Academy’s name to most every scholar who ventured to the capital for the exams.
However, the management in the academy was extremely strict. Every courtyard typically had a supervisor patrolling at a certain time, and every entrance and exit needed to be recorded. It was expected for the dwellers to study rigorously in those small buildings, but those who drank wine, sang their hearts out, or caused a commotion were penalized. There was also a kitchen in the courtyard, and the firewood, charcoal, and grain were all free. Therefore, although some scholars disliked the stringency of the place, there were also those who appreciated its quiescence. Majority of the latter were the ones who studied the hardest.
When the public roll of successful examinees was released at the end of the third month, someone residing in one of the small buildings was actually named Huiyuan.5 Scholars who took part in the exam had filled in the academy’s address as their temporary residence to immediately receive good news upon the release of the results. Thus, the person tasked to report the success directly headed to the academy. When time came, the vigorous atmosphere was simply unprecedented.6
In the fourth month was the palace examination. That person previously named Huiyuan became the Zhuangyuan.7 Jinjiang Academy’s name consequently achieved instant glory. Although this was a benefit garnered from someone else’s success, in the end, it was still considered an occasion of jubilation.
What would happen after this incident, Feng Sheng didn’t need to ponder about it to know. On the next spring exam, there would perhaps be more scholars rushing here for lodging. She couldn’t help but wonder whether or not to utilize the vacant land to build more buildings.
Right then, there was another joyous news. Feng Sheng was with child.
Author’s Note:
This chapter is a bit long, but it’s essential because Feng Sheng will develop an ‘educational business’ in the future. That’s what’s called, ‘give me an iron stick; I can move the earth’. →_→
Translator’s Note:
I recently learned that ‘scholarly honor’ can be synonymous to a degree in modern terminology. They’re always talking about the ‘scholarly honor’ obtained from imperial examinations. This is a table I copied and modified a little from Wiki:
| Degree (Scholarly Honor) | Ranks | Exam | Times held |
| Tongsheng (童生, lit. “child student”) | County Prefectural | Annual (2nd or 4th month) | |
| Shengyuan (生員, lit. “student member”) or Xiucai (秀才, lit. “distinguished talent”) | Linsheng (廩生, lit. “granary student”) (1st class) Zengsheng (增生, lit. “expanded student”) (2nd class) Fusheng (附生, lit. “attached student”) (3rd class) | College | Triennial (twice) |
| Juren (舉人, lit. “recommended man”) | 1st – Jieyuan (解元, lit. “top escorted examinee”) | Provincial Township | Triennial |
| Gongshi (貢士, lit. “tribute scholar”) | 1st – Huiyuan (會元, lit. “top conference examinee”) | Metropolitan Conference National Spring Exam | Triennial |
| Jinshi (進士, lit. “advanced scholar”) | 1st – Zhuangyuan (狀元, lit. “top thesis author”) 2nd – Bangyan (榜眼, lit. “eyes positioned alongside”) 3rd – Tanhua (探花, lit. “flower snatcher”) | Palace Court (Supervised by the Emperor himself) | Triennial |
The different terms in each cell under the Exam column all mean the same exam per level, just that they have several names.
1 A Juren (舉人, lit. “recommended man”) is someone who passed the provincial or township examination.
2 八面玲珑: be all things to all men; be a perfect mixer in any company; capable of dealing with all men
3 管三居士 (Guan San Ju Shi): 管 Guan is his surname, and the translation that makes the most sense to me is “Guan, the custodian of three (levels)”. I could be wrong, but the way I interpreted it was that ‘three’ meant every hall in the academy (men’s, women’s, and others). It’s a mouthful once translated in English, so I racked my brain trying to think of a catchy English equivalent without losing the essence of the nickname.
4 春闱: lit. spring examination, another term for the metropolitan/national/conference examination held in the capital once every three years.
5 Huiyuan (會元, lit. “top conference examinee”), the gongshi who ranked first in the metropolitan/national/conference/spring exam.
6 For examinees to know their rank in imperial examinations, a list would be posted outside local government offices or announced through a parade of some sort. A bunch of guys (could be workers in the yamen or something) would saunter around with drums and banners announcing the top ranking students and the passers, sort of like human mega-phones. I’m not exactly sure if they announced all the names, but they usually went to places the exam takers had written as their address.
7 Zhuangyuan (狀元, lit. “top thesis author”), the jinshi who ranked first in the palace/court exam overall nationwide.
